


Dude

by yeaka



Series: Chocono [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chocobos, Gen, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21910690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: The pack grows.
Series: Chocono [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577287
Comments: 9
Kudos: 122





	Dude

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy XV or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

The trouble with being alone is that it’s _boring_ , and Noctis keeps pulling back to yawn. Then he’ll shake his head and drop his beak to the grass, nosing about the different plants for the ones that taste the best. Grazing is boring even when he _does_ have others with him, but it’s especially bad now, when all he wants to do is sleep. But he’s not willing to go back. He loves his pack dearly, but sometimes, they’re just _too much._

He sticks close to the rocky ledge, half hiding behind it. His black feathers help shroud him in the shadows, and maybe that’s part of his problem—pure black birds are rare. Maybe that’s why Gladiolus and Ignis treat him like the runt of the litter. It’s not like he’s _that_ much younger or smaller than them. They don’t need to be so crazy over protective. His claws are as sharp as any of them, and he can run just as fast if not faster than every other chocobo he knows. 

He rips a weed out of the warm earth and tosses it back all at once. It goes down hard and sort of slimy. He probably should’ve waited for Ignis anyway. Ignis always finds the best food. He lowers back to the soil and plods forward, rifling through the smattering of weeds in search of something better, trailing around the rock as he does so. 

He walks smack into someone else’s tail feathers, then stumbles back with an undignified squawk. The other chocobos flares up, wings ruffling in surprise, gold plumage gleaming in the midday sun. The chocobo settles back when it sees that the creature that ran right into its butt was only another chocobo. They’re about the same size, though their colouring couldn’t be more different. 

Noctis tilts his head, because he’s never seen such a bright yellow bird before. He’s seen muddier ones, browner ones, but nothing like this: a pure star. He sticks his head out curiously and bops the other chocobo on its neck. It mumbles, _“Kweh,”_ and nudges him back. It seems friendly.

It’s a boy, he thinks. A free boy—no human saddles or leashes. Noctis walks slowly around him, eyeing him up, and the golden chocobo fluffs his feathers up and bravely withstands Noctis’ inspection. 

When Noctis spots something on the other bird’s leg, he squats down and blinks—there are a few black lines painted on it. The chocobo steps back and self-consciously hides that leg behind the other. Noctis doesn’t know what it means anyway. 

He doesn’t care. He’s already decided he _likes_ this chocobo. And what Noctis likes, Noctis keeps. 

He trots behind the other chocobo and nudges him forward. The chocobo dazedly goes where Noctis pushes him. Then Noctis nods off towards the horizon, in the direction of his herd. He takes a few steps, then looks back to check. The other chocobo tentatively follows. 

Pleased with his find, Noctis takes his new friend home.


End file.
